Preview — One Bullet Away
by Nathaniel Fick

One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer

If the Marines are “the few, the proud,” Recon Marines are the fewest and the proudest. Nathaniel Fick’s career begins with a hellish summer at Quantico, after his junior year at Dartmouth. He leads a platoon in Afghanistan just after 9/11 and advances to the pinnacle—Recon— two years later, on the eve of war with Iraq. His vast skill set puts him in front of the front linIf the Marines are “the few, the proud,” Recon Marines are the fewest and the proudest. Nathaniel Fick’s career begins with a hellish summer at Quantico, after his junior year at Dartmouth. He leads a platoon in Afghanistan just after 9/11 and advances to the pinnacle—Recon— two years later, on the eve of war with Iraq. His vast skill set puts him in front of the front lines, leading twenty-two Marines into the deadliest conflict since Vietnam. He vows to bring all his men home safely, and to do so he’ll need more than his top-flight education. Fick unveils the process that makes Marine officers such legendary leaders and shares his hard-won insights into the differences between military ideals and military practice, which can mock those ideals.

In this deeply thoughtful account of what it’s like to fight on today’s front lines, Fick reveals the crushing pressure on young leaders in combat. Split-second decisions might have national consequences or horrible immediate repercussions, but hesitation isn’t an option. One Bullet Away never shrinks from blunt truths, but ultimately it is an inspiring account of mastering the art of war....more

AuNot the same thing! Fick's book starts way before the events of Operation Iraqi Freedom, when he first enlisted and he describes his training and…moreNot the same thing! Fick's book starts way before the events of Operation Iraqi Freedom, when he first enlisted and he describes his training and things like that (there are some hilarious moments early in the book actually). Then there's the part on OIF which gives a different perspective from Evan Wright's and the book goes a little beyond that, when 1st Recon got back home. I thought both books were complementary and One Bullet Away is definitely worth reading if you liked Generation Kill, I think. Also, Nate Fick seems to be a pretty admirable man and his book is further proof of that. That's just my opinion, though. (less)

Community Reviews

"Soldiering has one great trap...To be a good soldier you must love the army. But to be a good officer you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love. This is...a very hard thing to do. No other profession requires it. That is one reason why there are so few good officers. Although there are many good men."-- Michael Schaara, The Killer Angels

My friend overnighted this book to me when I told him I was joining the National Guard. He told me to read it before making a decision. He h"Soldiering has one great trap...To be a good soldier you must love the army. But to be a good officer you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love. This is...a very hard thing to do. No other profession requires it. That is one reason why there are so few good officers. Although there are many good men."-- Michael Schaara, The Killer Angels

My friend overnighted this book to me when I told him I was joining the National Guard. He told me to read it before making a decision. He hoped that by reading it, I would be change my mind. It didn't exactly happen like that; rather, when I finished, I felt kind of bad about myself, like I'd failed some ineffable duty. Still, I didn't join the Guard, but not because of anything I've read. In the end, it came down to the fact that the Guard's loan repayment plan is paltry, and I would've gone underwater on my debt while in training. (There's also a better, funnier story about why I didn't join, which involves a long night at the bar and the Guard physical scheduled the next day, but I won't go into that).

Nathaniel Fick went through with it, though. He joined the Marines, via officer candidacy school, after graduating from Dartmouth. This memoir tells of his journey from lesser-Ivy League (take that, Dartmouth!) English major to OCS to SERE (survival, evasion, resistance, escape) to Afghanistan to Iraq to home. It does a good job of capturing the little details of soldiering, and highlighting the dichotomy between two very separate worlds: that of soldiers and civilians.

The subtitle of the book is "The Making of a Marine Corps Officer." This implies that the book provides some sort of template, which is just not the case. Fick is unlike any soldier I've ever met - and I've lived and been friends with my share of soldiers. He brings to his experiences, and this memoir, a liberal sensitivity (with the requisite lethality, of course) that is missing in most military men. He doesn't join the Marines out of monetary necessity, to pay for college, or because he doesn't have any other options. He joined the Marines because he really believed in their ethos of duty, honor and country. But he's not some Reagan-era-Red-Dawn-Watching-2nd-Amendment-Glorifying-Wannabe-GI Joe. Rather, he seems to be a really smart guy with a fine-tuned sense of duty (and also, I think, a bit of intellectual curiosity about the military). When he enlists, in the far-away days of peace we knew in the late 90's, his father tells him that: "The Marines will teach you everything I love you too much to teach you."

The book is divided into two main sections, Peace and War. The first section is shorter, as Fick breezes through OCS and infantry training. The second half of the book begins with the September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks. Fick goes to Afghanistan where, frankly, nothing much really happens. He joins a Marine reconaissance batallion, and then is sent to Iraq. This is where the bulk of the story takes place, as Fick and his recon platoon race towards Baghdad (coincidentally, Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright was embedded with Fick's platoon, codenamed Hitman 2, and he featured them in his book Generation Kill, making Hitman 2 the most written-about and televised group of soldiers since Easy Company of the 501st, who have been immortalized by Stephen Ambrose in Band of Brothers).

Fick is a fine, easy-to-read writer. He keeps things simple and informative, with a good memory for dialogue (or a good ear for making up dialogue) and a keen sense of telling details. With his Dartmouth degree going to waste, he is fond of literary allusions. He never gives any details of his personal life, save an offhand reference to a girlfriend, so he remains elusive as a person, and a blank slate as a narrator.

That doesn't stop him from giving his opinions, however. Throughout the book, he peppers his story with his personal perspective on events. For instance, after a visit to the site of the former World Trade Center (the so-called "Ground Zero"), he derides the empty patriotism of the SUV-driving-yellow-bumper-sticker-they-won't-destroy-our-way-of-life crowd. During his time in Iraq, he is critical of the blunt instruments of modern warfare, which killed and injured the very civilian populace the American military was trying to "liberate." He also discretely chides his superiors, especially his captain, whom he pointedly does not mention by name.

It's true that every soldier fights a limited war. The things Fick sees are his entire universe, and expand to fill his imagination, even though it is a much smaller part of the whole. In other words, the sense of a soldier is that he is at the center of the war, when in fact, history may relegate him and his companions to the periphery.

To be sure, Hitman 2 is not Ambrose's "Band of Brothers." These are not guys out saving the world. They are not even seriously challenged (the story takes place during the initial invasion of Iraq, before IEDs and quagmires and the long, bloody summer of 2006). This is not to say Fick and his men weren't in danger, because they were, and they faced it bravely; however, he went to war with 65 men, and all of them came home alive. Most of the time, the Iraqi Army does not put up much of a fight. The most memorable incidents of this book take place outside of combat, such as when the platoon comes upon wounded children. There is an especially harrowing scene when Fick's battalion commander, Major Benelli, refuses to evacuate a wounded girl. Breaching his self-imposed rule about not naming names, Fick directly addresses his smirking commander:

I felt impotent, but I wasn't powerless. I had an assault rifle in my hands. I could shoot the motherf****r. I could hold him hostage until he called in that helicopter.

There is also a marvelous scene where Sergeant Colbert, hero of the HBO miniseries Generation Kill, cooly blows up an unexploded RGP round that had landed in a man's yard. Though doing so was against orders, Fick realizes this is an instance to do some lasting good.

Though his men didn't fight any pitched battles, Fick does an especially good job describing modern combat, as in this scene where his men fire on a truck that refuses to stop at a checkpoint:

In slow motion, I watch .50-caliber tracers and Mark-19 rounds arcing over the truck. It closed the gap on the gunners faster than they could lower their guns. For a second, I thought he'd run right into us. The gunners corrected, and grenades exploded against the grille and windshield as armor-piercing incendiary machine gun rounds ripped the cab apart...Still the truck rushed closer...I jammed the rifle stock into my shoulder and flipped the selector level to 'burst'...I aimed low, at the middle of the grille, knowing the shots would float upward toward the windshield. The rifle stuttered, three little kicks at a time.

The end of the book finds Fick returning home and resigning so he can go to grad school (Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government, natch). It's a short, interesting, provocative section. There is Fick swerving as he goes beneath underpasses, because in Iraq, grenades were often dropped from them. There is Fick, answering questions from an admissions officer, who wanted to know about something he'd said that appeared in Rolling Stone ("Do I feel compelled to explain myself to you? I don't"). There is Fick taking a friend to Antietam, which gives him a chance to be ostentatiously rueful about his experiences, and subtly belittle the "civvie" who doesn't understand. There is Fick getting pissed about people who thanked him for his service.

This section really calls to mind a fascinating and important questions about military and civilian roles in a democracy. I've never served in the military. Like I said, the closest I came was that National Guard recruiting office. I respect what soldiers do; and I am also very wary of what they do. Undue deference leads to bad policy, which should go without saying.

I grew a little wary of Fick's mindset, that of superior knowledge, which however natural and psychologically explicable, leads to a growing gulf between the military and the civilian population. The wider the gulf, the worse the policy choices.

In college, I lived with a ROTC student, and I can't even count the number of times my former roomate-now-Army-lieutenant and I got into political debates. Without fail, at some point in the argument (right around the time I had eviscerated him with my slashing logic) he'd riposte to the effect that: "You have no right to say that about the Army because the Army has given you the right to say that."

It's a dangerous bit of self-indulgence on the part of the military to believe they are protecting or even giving us rights, thus giving them some control over them. It smacks of praetorianism. The last section of One Bullet Away shows that even the most enlightened, liberal thinker can fall prey to that reasoning. That should be enough to give anyone pause. ...more

As a retired Marine officer myself, I believe this may be the best job I've seen yet of getting inside the mind of a Marine leader. Nathaniel Fick is smart, caring, conscientious, brave, and introspective. Upon leaving the Corps he went to grad school with the goal of getting into politics, and I hope to hear his name a lot in the years to come - he has much more to give our country.Incidentally, in another book titled Generation Kill, you can get the perspective of a reporter attached to Lt. FiAs a retired Marine officer myself, I believe this may be the best job I've seen yet of getting inside the mind of a Marine leader. Nathaniel Fick is smart, caring, conscientious, brave, and introspective. Upon leaving the Corps he went to grad school with the goal of getting into politics, and I hope to hear his name a lot in the years to come - he has much more to give our country.Incidentally, in another book titled Generation Kill, you can get the perspective of a reporter attached to Lt. Fick's unit on his character and performance during the same period Fick writes about in One Bullet Away; he earned that writer's liking and respect too....more

Nate is one of my favorite characters in Generation Kill, so when I realized that he had written a book of his very own that treated on some of the same events, I snapped it up immediately. I like Nate because he is an officer and a gentleman, a Dartmouth classics major who joined the Marine Corps in a fit of idealism, and one of only two competent officers portrayed in Generation Kill. Why I love Nate can be best understood first hand.

The rules of engagement harked back to my college classes on

Nate is one of my favorite characters in Generation Kill, so when I realized that he had written a book of his very own that treated on some of the same events, I snapped it up immediately. I like Nate because he is an officer and a gentleman, a Dartmouth classics major who joined the Marine Corps in a fit of idealism, and one of only two competent officers portrayed in Generation Kill. Why I love Nate can be best understood first hand.

The rules of engagement harked back to my college classes on Saint Augustine and "just war" theory. I couldn't control the justice of the declaration of war, but I could control the justice of its conduct within my tiny sphere of influence. Doing right, I thought, wasn't only a moral imperative but also the most expedient way to lead the platoon."

This book is about Nate's journey from making the decision to join the Corps, through Afghanistan, the Basic Recon Course, and Iraq. It is well worth reading as an excellent first person account of life in the modern military, but I think those who have read Generation Kill may find it most rewarding. The discrepancies between the two accounts are fascinating. Some can be explained simply by the way Fick is more gentle with his fellow officers than Wright was inclined to be--he never, for instance, calls out Captain America for his insane cowardice--but in some places the two stories are genuinely different. As Tim O'Brien teaches us, "there is no such thing as a true war story."

Well written, exciting, thoughtful, informative, and interesting, this book is an absolute must read for anyone who liked Generation Kill, is curious about how exactly the military works, or claimed citizenship in the United States of America during 2002-2003. ...more

One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer is a narrative on the military and war from an Ivy League liberal arts major. With Lt Nathaniel Fick’s background in the classics, I was hoping for a mix of real experience and historical interpretation of his experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq. He focuses more on the experience and not on the wider view. Still, it was a well-written account of joining the military and going to war from a segment of society that is much more focused on getting ricOne Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer is a narrative on the military and war from an Ivy League liberal arts major. With Lt Nathaniel Fick’s background in the classics, I was hoping for a mix of real experience and historical interpretation of his experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq. He focuses more on the experience and not on the wider view. Still, it was a well-written account of joining the military and going to war from a segment of society that is much more focused on getting rich on Wall Street or joining law firms to make a big killing than serving the nation. Nate Fick’s background made him more open to military service and he joined at exactly the right time to be in the vanguard going to war after 9/11.

I most enjoyed his descriptions of entering the military and his progress through basic and follow on training. I’ve been through enlisted and officer basic training and his description of the purposeful craziness had me rolling on the floor. One thing for sure, Marine training is probably the toughest around.

In the middle of his first sea cruise, 9/11 occurs and his unit is sent to support the Afghanistan campaign. He goes into Pakistan and then into the Kandahar area, supporting but not involved in any of the major actions. Returning from Afghanistan, he is reassigned from command of an infantry platoon to a reconnaissance platoon, extending his opportunity to command at the “point of the spear”. That is where he is when Iraqi Freedom occurs. He takes us through the battles from Kuwait to Baghdad, concentrating on the day-to-day operations. No big picture on this war, just what he and his platoon went through. It was interesting to see his perspective when he finds out his unit was the feint towards Baquoba for a move towards Baghdad. It was a good strategic move but his view on risking his men’s lives for a fake attack was revealing. After returning from Iraq, he leaves the military and gives a clear, simple description of PTSD and how it affected him.

Nate Fick’s view of the Marine Corps is very positive as he looks down the chain at his enlisted force and is mostly negative as he looks up the chain. I have known some excellent Marine officers and have not met the type of “tactical incompetents” he describes. His high opinion of the enlisted force continues to the end, backed up with plenty of examples in combat. This book is not so much about combat post 9/11 but about how tough it is to be in combat and stay alert, focused while observing all the rules of engagement. 5 Stars for the pre 9/11 and 3 stars for the post 9/11, leaving me at the 4 Star level....more

This was a terrific book. As good as Generation Kill for me (Generation Kill having profiled Lt N. Fick as one of the Platoon that Evan Wright embedded with). I would highly recommend that if the reader of this review has not read Generation Kill, then read it before or after reading One Bullet Away. The two different perspectives were fascinating.What Generation Kill never touched on however, was how Lt Nathaniel Fick evolved. The early days of his career. His training, his deployment to AfghanThis was a terrific book. As good as Generation Kill for me (Generation Kill having profiled Lt N. Fick as one of the Platoon that Evan Wright embedded with). I would highly recommend that if the reader of this review has not read Generation Kill, then read it before or after reading One Bullet Away. The two different perspectives were fascinating.What Generation Kill never touched on however, was how Lt Nathaniel Fick evolved. The early days of his career. His training, his deployment to Afghanistan, was, upon finishing this book, probably more interesting to me than his time in Iraq. 5 star book, Nathaniel Fick!...more

I've read this book twice now and I have enjoyed it both times. The author is very good at his narration, and is neither ultra gung-ho nor cynically going through the motions. Mr. Fick is a Marine; a thoughtful Marine and one whose sense of duty is deeply held and not the product of jingoism or testosterone laden "hoo-rah" culture.

In short, I enjoyed the heck out of this book and would heartily recommend it. There are plenty of books that delineate and define how the strategic battles of the AfgI've read this book twice now and I have enjoyed it both times. The author is very good at his narration, and is neither ultra gung-ho nor cynically going through the motions. Mr. Fick is a Marine; a thoughtful Marine and one whose sense of duty is deeply held and not the product of jingoism or testosterone laden "hoo-rah" culture.

In short, I enjoyed the heck out of this book and would heartily recommend it. There are plenty of books that delineate and define how the strategic battles of the Afghan and Iraq wars were lost (I'm looking at you Misters Rumsfeld and Franks), but few who put into perspective the squad level view on the ground of these conflicts....more

Nate Fick seems like a classy guy and this is a classy, classy book. After graduating with a degree in Classics from Dartmouth, Fick joined the US Marine Corps as an officer candidate. While his friends when to med school, law school or became “consultants” (as Fick points out, what exactly can a 22-year-old consult on?), he became a peacetime officer who was abruptly thrust into wartime after September 11.

After serving in Afghanistan, Fick joined the infamously-tough First Reconnaissance BattalNate Fick seems like a classy guy and this is a classy, classy book. After graduating with a degree in Classics from Dartmouth, Fick joined the US Marine Corps as an officer candidate. While his friends when to med school, law school or became “consultants” (as Fick points out, what exactly can a 22-year-old consult on?), he became a peacetime officer who was abruptly thrust into wartime after September 11.

After serving in Afghanistan, Fick joined the infamously-tough First Reconnaissance Battalion. One of the book’s most powerful sequences involves Fick’s training to become the so-called ‘point of the Marines’ spear’. He deliberately marks down water-based training as his last pick – and, of course, because a First Recon Marine must be trained to do exactly what he hates, he spends a couple of weeks being forced to perform tasks underwater or in stormy seas, until the fear of drowning is beaten out of him.

The final part of Fick’s memoir, recounting his experience as a first lieutenant during the 2003 Iraq invasion, will be familiar to readers of Evan Wright’s Generation Kill. Fick gives a more personally-focused (and more balanced) account of what happened, which is, perhaps inevitably, less interesting.

I enjoyed this book a lot – though I found the military experiences rather blended together, especially due to the sheer size of the book (hint: it’s long). I preferred Fick’s more personal and philosophical reflections to the raw action of the book, but that's probably just because I’m more interested in people than warriors. ;)

The fact that Fick is a former Classics student gives the book a genuine lift. Fick’s prose is always meditative and frequently beautiful. That said, Fick remains carefully neutral on most political subjects, which makes for slightly frustrating reading – sometimes you just want Fick to stand up and give a candid opinion....more

An interesting book that for some reason did not quite gel with me. After watching the T.V series Generation kill this book offered the story from a marines point of view. While the book was an engaging read for me it lacked spark that makes a good book a great one.

This is a former Marine officer's account of the early war on terrorism through two combat tours in the Middle East. It covers the training and deployments cycles that occur in the military. It also highlights the small percentage of Marines who are more concerned with playing the political game. It does a decent job of showing the need to care for those below you and training them to be able to replace you which is an old Marines Corps standard. Semper Fedelis.

My friend Scott W. suggested I read this book, and wow, was I impressed. It is an excellent book on what it takes to be a Marine Officer. I was an Army Officer, I see a big difference. A great book on the struggle to excel and survive. If your into the military this is must read.

This military memoir by Nathaniel Fick, who served with the Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq, is superb. Fick may be known as one of the main characters in the book and mini-series Generation Kill, and this book dives far deeper into his experiences. In addition to the expected stories of combat and camaraderie, Fick elucidates issues he balanced as a lieutenant, in dealing with both the enlisted men below him and the often-disconnected officers above him. He's often able to take a step back, proThis military memoir by Nathaniel Fick, who served with the Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq, is superb. Fick may be known as one of the main characters in the book and mini-series Generation Kill, and this book dives far deeper into his experiences. In addition to the expected stories of combat and camaraderie, Fick elucidates issues he balanced as a lieutenant, in dealing with both the enlisted men below him and the often-disconnected officers above him. He's often able to take a step back, providing as nuanced and reasonable views as possible, and that in turn sheds significant light on Marine and military philosophy. Fick writes in a first-person style that's pensive and technical yet still easy to read and follow. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, maybe because Fick is the type of officer I'd like to think I'd have been had my path led that direction. I wish he'd written more about returning to civilian life, though he does express his brief thoughts well. This gets my highest recommendation for anyone looking for on-the-ground action with a reflective bent, from an admirable Marine leader. ...more

I couldn't put this book down, but I didn't want it to end. Captain Fick gives equal attention to the tactical and logistical challenges of war, and the moral and ethical ones. A classics major with all the historical and philosophical lessons and ideas of a first-rate liberal arts education in his thinking, he is also a highly trained warrior. He shows a belief in and dedication to the highest ideals of the Marine Corps, with a practical grasp of all the ways in which the reality can and sometiI couldn't put this book down, but I didn't want it to end. Captain Fick gives equal attention to the tactical and logistical challenges of war, and the moral and ethical ones. A classics major with all the historical and philosophical lessons and ideas of a first-rate liberal arts education in his thinking, he is also a highly trained warrior. He shows a belief in and dedication to the highest ideals of the Marine Corps, with a practical grasp of all the ways in which the reality can and sometimes does fall short of those ideals. His perspective was fascinating, candid about the ugliness and the terrible allures of war, and heartening in some ways, but also illustrated the importance of good and conscientious leadership to the well-being of all. If all the decision-makers shared more of Fick's qualities, I think we'd all be better off....more

I loved the account of Nathaniel Fick in "Generation Kill", so was thrilled to see this autobiography. He comes across as a thoughtful, moral person in GK and that's backed up by what he's written here; it starts before Fick has even thought of joining the armed forces, and blends pretty seamlessly with the GK account.

It's not hard to see why Evan Wright wrote of the affection and trust soldiers had for Fick. Character shines through on the page, and his writing feels honest and analytical in alI loved the account of Nathaniel Fick in "Generation Kill", so was thrilled to see this autobiography. He comes across as a thoughtful, moral person in GK and that's backed up by what he's written here; it starts before Fick has even thought of joining the armed forces, and blends pretty seamlessly with the GK account.

It's not hard to see why Evan Wright wrote of the affection and trust soldiers had for Fick. Character shines through on the page, and his writing feels honest and analytical in all the best ways....more

I didn't think I liked this book so much at first, but when I reached the last chapter I started having an ache in my stomach. By the last pages it had reached the level of full on grieving. I don't know why, I guess it really got to me; the people, their choices and the honesty of it all. The guy is very reflective, and though I feel I would have liked to know even more about some parts, I'm still impressed with how much he remembered. All things considered.

Note: I've read this book a couple of weeks and my review is based on the notes I took while reading it.

Review:I have no doubts that "One Bullet Away" by Nathaniel Fick is going to be one, if not the best book, I'm going to read this year. After I finished it, it took me along time to stop thinking about it (actually, I still haven't), and it moved me in a way I didn't expect. And that was before I watched the excellent HBO TV series "Generation Kill", which I highly recommend, btw.

As you may reNote: I've read this book a couple of weeks and my review is based on the notes I took while reading it.

Review:I have no doubts that "One Bullet Away" by Nathaniel Fick is going to be one, if not the best book, I'm going to read this year. After I finished it, it took me along time to stop thinking about it (actually, I still haven't), and it moved me in a way I didn't expect. And that was before I watched the excellent HBO TV series "Generation Kill", which I highly recommend, btw.

As you may remember, I read and reviewed Evan Wright's "Generation Kill" some time ago. For those of you who don't know the connection, "Generation Kill" covers Wright's time as an embedded journalist with a platoon of recon marines, whose commanding officer was Nathaniel Fick, the author of "One Bullet Away". While I enjoyed "Generation Kill" very much, I also judged it as a book written for an MTV audience - young people with a short attention span and a (however misled) desire for action.

"One Bullet Away" is very very different from "Generation Kill", and not only because it covers Fick's personal journey to becoming a Marine officer and some of his missions before the events in "Generation Kill". It is different, because Fick's accounts, compared to GK, are so, well, unspectacular. He is all rational, planning, calm - where Evans is the terrified and fascinated journalist who sees the heroics of the single man, and not the camaraderie of the team that is so evident in everything that Fick describes. Where Evans watches and describes, Fick thinks (and writes. And people who can truly think are so rarely found these days. (*sigh*)

I was fascinated and confused by the lack of information that Fick describes. He knows, has been taught by the Marine Corps, that you can never have all the intel, so you must act and plan with what you have. For the reader, at least for me as a reader, this was rather unsettling - how can these men make the decision they have to make when they lack so much important information? Hell, I can't even order a pizza if I don't know what kind of cheese is going to be on it!

Fick doesn't describe this lack of intel so much as he just lives it - this became most apparent to me on his first mission to Pakistan and Afghanistan - he and the others around him seem to live in an information vacuum onboard their ship -opinion building? Following the press? Not happening. Nowhere else did it become so evident to me that we have to overcome the (heroic) idea that fighting for one's country means fighting for what one believes in. Fighting for one's country means following orders, making the best of the information one is given - fighting for a policy that in the best case scenario you stand behind, but most of the time, you won't even know. What you have to believe in is the idea of serving your country, although Fick doesn't outright say that in this book (but he does so in later articles).

And I'm not saying this to make it worth less - the opposite is the case. But it is a truth, and I think it is an important truth to know in order to be able to understand any kind of war. And it makes perfect sense from a military POV: you can't have everyone doing what they think is best - you need them to do what they are told to do. Fick doesn't complain about this, in fact he doesn't seem to object to this. What does make him decide to leave the Corps in the end is the price you pay for being part of the chain of command - you send men to war and they will get killed, and as a commanding officer, no matter how little information you've been given by your superiors, no matter if you believe in the policy you are fighting for or not - this is going to be your responsibility.

This had quite an impact on me, the fact that for Fick, for anyone else right there, it's not about good or bad or right or wrong - it's about survival. It's as basic as that.

And honestly, I don't know how this makes me feel - there are people fighting out there who are excellent at their jobs - but all they do depends on the words of some policy makers in Washington- What if the policy is wrong? Fick doesn't answer this question -he doesn't even ask it. But I don't think you can read this book without thinking about it.

That is not to say that Fick is uninformed. On the contrary -even though he skips the details, Fick mentions and describes again and again the meticulous planning that goes into preparing missions and giving orders: the intelligence gathering, the officer meetings, the ordering, assembling and (re-)checking of equipment -all parts that are virtually non-existent in Evan's book. Where GK sometimes seems to be about a bunch of guys who took an armed roadtrip in Iraq for their Spring break, OBA shows that - overall agenda or not (see above) - these people actually seemed to know what they were doing. And in addition to his excellent personal descriptions of his life as a Marine officer, the book also provides a lot of factual information of the work of the Marine Corps and its officers.

And then there is the fact that from everything else I've read not about, but from Nate Fick since then (for those who don't know, he's the CEO of the think tank CNAS), he seems to be one of the more intelligent people out there, and I agree with mostly everything he says (plus he writes so compellingly that I would happily read his shopping list, and enjoy doing so), and I could never resist really good, intelligent reasoning. It turns me on. Yes, really. (but that's beside the point, maybe)

Anyway, I found this book very very impressive. It is well-written and informative, but it is also personal and heartfelt. I am a bit ashamed to admit that I didn't expect Fick to be such a good writer (I only read his other articles and interviews after I read OBA) and was therefore surprised that I liked this book even better than I had hoped to like it. I have since learned that OBA is required reading for many Marine officers, and I find that decision fully justified.

An important book that I highly, HIGHLY recommend to everyone who is even the least bit interested in the subject.

One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer is an excellent, and very unique book about war. It is excellent because Nathaniel Fick describes his journey from Dartmouth student to Recon Marine with supreme intelligence and utter honesty. It is unique because Fick does so with an absence of drama and emotion---he dedicates little time and attention to the actual combat in which he engaged. Rather, the book focuses on the intense intellectual/academic/psychological pursuit of preparing to leadOne Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer is an excellent, and very unique book about war. It is excellent because Nathaniel Fick describes his journey from Dartmouth student to Recon Marine with supreme intelligence and utter honesty. It is unique because Fick does so with an absence of drama and emotion---he dedicates little time and attention to the actual combat in which he engaged. Rather, the book focuses on the intense intellectual/academic/psychological pursuit of preparing to lead men into battle. It is a very clinical and insightful portrayal of a leader's mindset, and I found it fascinating. Strongly recommended....more

One Bullet Away is overall a pretty good book. This is a book, where I would recommend it to a friend. This is a very intriguing book. I chose this book because it is a book about a soldier named Nathaniel. And it takes us through what he did like training wise and that he was number one in his class for everything they did. This book takes you through the journey, from a solider to a officer in the army. I think what worked in this book was all the little details Nathan put it there, like whenOne Bullet Away is overall a pretty good book. This is a book, where I would recommend it to a friend. This is a very intriguing book. I chose this book because it is a book about a soldier named Nathaniel. And it takes us through what he did like training wise and that he was number one in his class for everything they did. This book takes you through the journey, from a solider to a officer in the army. I think what worked in this book was all the little details Nathan put it there, like when he remembers the exact amount of reps he had in training or how long it took another group of soldiers to get to his position. I don't really think anything was disappointing in this book. Overall this is a great book if you are interested in the army and what you do to climb the ranks....more

This book is a memoir about the author, Nathanial Fick, and his story of his time in the Marines. The beginning of the story is about the difficulty of getting through training to be a marine. He explains every part of his grueling training experience. After boot camp, he is deployed on a ship patrolling the Australian coast for a year long deployment. However, 9/11 happens during his deployment, and he is moved to go fight in Afghanistan. The rest of the book talks about the stress and hardshipThis book is a memoir about the author, Nathanial Fick, and his story of his time in the Marines. The beginning of the story is about the difficulty of getting through training to be a marine. He explains every part of his grueling training experience. After boot camp, he is deployed on a ship patrolling the Australian coast for a year long deployment. However, 9/11 happens during his deployment, and he is moved to go fight in Afghanistan. The rest of the book talks about the stress and hardships of being a real platoon commander, and the perspective of a regular soldier on the battlefield at this time. I would recommend this book for people who like to read about history, war stories, or are just curious about what was happening during this war. One thing they could've done better in this book is giving the reader some perspective of time while reading. When reading, I didn't really know how long he was deployed, and some key events would've helped line up his story and the history better. One thing I liked was the intense detail of his stories. He included some things that didn't matter to his story, but set the mood or feeling, with so much detail. Overall, it is an alright book for people who enjoy these kinds of topics, and would recommend it to the people who have an interest....more

In his memoir One Bullet Away, Nate Fick shares his story of joining the Marine Corps as an officer, and deploying just before the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Fick's story, told in ways that are both too glib and too frank, confuses the hell out of me.

I understand the call to serve. I understand the frustration that clearly mounts as he is thrust into war zones, in Afghanistan and again in Iraq, that his training did not fully prepare him for by commanders more interested in jockeying for promotion than in the safety of Fick's platoon.

But I don't understand who Fick was writing for. Who does he think will love his book?

Fick starts off with a glorification of war, of the Marines, of martial life that is, to me, off-putting. "The grunt life was untainted," he writes. "Being a Marine... was a rite of passage in a society becoming so soft and homogenized that the very concept was often sneered at." I could spend all day trying to unpack what Fick means by "soft," but I think the quote shares the flavor of the opening chapters, and the hard-soft motif resurfaces throughout the memoir's nearly 400 pages.

Fick handles death lightly. All of his platoon members survive his tour in Iraq, though some are wounded or killed later. The people who die are enemies, othered, and largely nondescript. Threats among the Marines to kill each other if they screw up, as Fick does when one of his men offers to blow an undetonated bomb, are common. But the story lacks the grittiness, the nastiness of military memoirs that have lately been turned into successful movies.

But as much as Fick loves the Marines, his platoon, his life as a soldier, he ultimately leaves the Corps because of its seemingly mindless bureaucracy. He leaves because he can't imagine putting himself back in harms way if he is surrounded by the kind of people he served his first Iraq deployment with- the idiots who drive down every road with guns blazing, endangering allies and civilians, or the ladder climbing fools who want to call in air support strikes simply become another company had called one earlier. So the book is not written, I think, for the military enthusiast.

Fick makes a compelling case for the re-assessment of American readiness. "I was noticing a trend in my career: train to lead a rifle platoon, but get a weapons platoon; train to raid the coastline in rubber boats, but go to war in a landlocked country; train to jump into patrols via parachute, but use boots or Humvees in the real world." Fick chooses to see this train for Plan A, fight with Plan B as "a tribute to flexibility," but given the dysfunction evident throughout his dealings with military command, it smacks of mismanagement....more

Nathaniel Fick received a degree in classics from Dartmouth before joining the Marines, and that blend of scholar and soldier proves to be a good mix in writing this book. Though Fick goes into detail about his training and war experience, I rarely felt lost, as can happen with me when military slang and terminology is tossed around. Occasionally I forgot the meaning of an acronym while reading and wished for a glossary, but it didn’t impede my comprehension overall.

I liked reading about the IraNathaniel Fick received a degree in classics from Dartmouth before joining the Marines, and that blend of scholar and soldier proves to be a good mix in writing this book. Though Fick goes into detail about his training and war experience, I rarely felt lost, as can happen with me when military slang and terminology is tossed around. Occasionally I forgot the meaning of an acronym while reading and wished for a glossary, but it didn’t impede my comprehension overall.

I liked reading about the Iraq conflict from Fick’s perspective. He was an officer, so the book includes explanations of how he made hard decisions on the fly. It definitely is an excellent book for examining how it is to lead under pressure. And yet his rank meant that he was close to the action as well.

The level of detail is astonishing and vivid. Fick does a good job of placing the reader in the thick of it.

One Bullet Away encompasses a range of emotions, from humor to heartbreak. And there is a definite arc to the story; one feels the passage of time. By the time the book has reached April 2003, Fick’s training in Officer Candidates School feels far away. You sense how much things have changed, both for and in him and in the world.

The phrase “support our troops” seems so reflexive and emptied of meaning to my ears. I sometimes feel that the speaker of the phrase is trying more to signify something about themselves than actually using it as an exhortation. For instance, it may be used partly as an utterance of protection against accusations of unpatriotism. I know that I used it that way, or a phrase like it, in college discussions about the war back in 2003.

So when I say that this book made me truly appreciate the people in the armed forces, I am trying my hardest to not make that seem like an empty platitude. I can’t imagine facing the decisions and danger that the author and his fellow Marines faced. The civilian life is not inferior but it is very different.

Fick does illuminate problems he saw while in Iraq, including certain decisions made by higher command. The Marines see the initial welcome of the Iraqi people begin to sour and there is a sense of squandered opportunity.

At the close of the book, I felt satisfied in the reading experience but also sobered. I believe I will be thinking about this book for a while yet....more

My discovery of One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer was a bit of an interesting genesis. When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, a number of journalists embedded with military units to report on the war. Rolling Stone's Evan Wright joined the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of US Marine Corps for the invasion, which provided material for articles in the magazine, a book called Generation Kill, and eventually an HBO mini-series by the same name. I enjoyed the series, which led me toMy discovery of One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer was a bit of an interesting genesis. When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, a number of journalists embedded with military units to report on the war. Rolling Stone's Evan Wright joined the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of US Marine Corps for the invasion, which provided material for articles in the magazine, a book called Generation Kill, and eventually an HBO mini-series by the same name. I enjoyed the series, which led me to the book, and both highlighted platoon commander Lieutenant Nathaniel Fick, a bright young Dartmouth grad. It turned out that Fick, who now runs a Washington think tank, had also written about his experiences.

Fick has all of the makings of a good autobiographical war writer. He's sharp, so his memoir is well-written, chalk full of detail and analysis. Because of his civilian origins and destiny, Fick's experiences were surprisingly relatable to me. What cost One Bullet Away the fifth star in my rating is that the narrative engaged the reader on a highly intellectual level, which made for a rewarding read but not as much an engrossing page-turner. Still, I highly recommend One Bullet Away for its first-person on-the-ground perspective on the invasion that began the war that defined global geopolitics for most of the last decade....more

Good. Standard Lieutenant reading. Some real lessons to be taken from here, like how and when people will pee in a wetsuit. If you can't find a copy, go to Quantico. Every TBS barracks room will have at least two. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in knowing a little about the Marine Corps, training, modern warfare or even just a look at humanity and Rules of Engagement. Nathaniel Fick does a wonderful job detailing his experience, and manages to not step on Evan Wright’s work,Good. Standard Lieutenant reading. Some real lessons to be taken from here, like how and when people will pee in a wetsuit. If you can't find a copy, go to Quantico. Every TBS barracks room will have at least two. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in knowing a little about the Marine Corps, training, modern warfare or even just a look at humanity and Rules of Engagement. Nathaniel Fick does a wonderful job detailing his experience, and manages to not step on Evan Wright’s work, even though Wright was embedded with his platoon (23 guys and a reporter from Rolling Stone in this case), and wrote a book that became an HBO miniseries (Generation Kill). He does validate Wright’s closeness to combat, detailing the bullet holes in Wright’s humvee door, but includes very few other details about him, in what I assume was professional courtesy. Fick’s post-USMC exchange with a woman concerning a possible job may have been my favorite part. To give you an idea of the training, well, I don’t think I’m hard enough for Recon. At one point Fick talks about their ‘typical Friday’ which involved an eight mile run, a two mile swim in the ocean, and an eight mile run back. I mentioned that to my rackmate who responded, “That sounds great except for the running and swimming.”...more

I started this book a while ago, maybe a couple years after it came out. Abandoned it halfway through and sortof kindof meant to get back to it, maybe, when I felt like it.

Then I got recruited for a position at some rando network security company, clicked around their website, saw their CEO was some dude named Nathaniel Fick and did a serious double-take. Not that Nathaniel Fick, surely. Oh, but yes. So I started over from zero & pushed past the place where I left off, somewhere in AfghanistI started this book a while ago, maybe a couple years after it came out. Abandoned it halfway through and sortof kindof meant to get back to it, maybe, when I felt like it.

Then I got recruited for a position at some rando network security company, clicked around their website, saw their CEO was some dude named Nathaniel Fick and did a serious double-take. Not that Nathaniel Fick, surely. Oh, but yes. So I started over from zero & pushed past the place where I left off, somewhere in Afghanistan.

Fick captures what it's like to try to be honorable in a situation that's gone toe-up. He is clearly smart and articulate, lays it out well. And you might never know that what he wrote is inadequate until you read Generation Kill, a much stronger retelling of the beginning of Iraqi Freedom. In contrast and hindsight, One Bullet Away is wan, boring. Idealist boyscout shit.

Enjoyable page-turner that is motivating and offers a nuanced perspective of life as a Marine officer during the late 90s to mid 2000s. Fick's writing style is compelling with a fast-pace stream of sentences, starting events in medias res, and frankly showing and not telling that keeps you engaged throughout. The story is of his journey from Dartmouth undergraduate to Marine officer candidate and then as an elite Recon Marine veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. You don't need to be strongly intere Enjoyable page-turner that is motivating and offers a nuanced perspective of life as a Marine officer during the late 90s to mid 2000s. Fick's writing style is compelling with a fast-pace stream of sentences, starting events in medias res, and frankly showing and not telling that keeps you engaged throughout. The story is of his journey from Dartmouth undergraduate to Marine officer candidate and then as an elite Recon Marine veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. You don't need to be strongly interested in the military before reading it as it's easily written for a novice like myself and is openly critical of decisions in places. That's what makes it standout. It's a balanced perspective that ultimately points out the importance of competence in harrowing situations. Fick is a thoughtful writer and his book gave me a greater appreciation for the fear, sacrifices, and discomfort that military men and women endure....more

Nathaniel Fick entered the Marines by way of Dartmouth College, not the standard route by any means. In “One Bullet Away” he has written a terrific book that should be required reading for all. It gave me a whole new perspective on the war in Iraq. The bravery with which our men serve is incredible. The content is gripping, and Fick’s writing style just adds to it. He paints a vivid picture of life on the front lines during the initial surge into Iraq after 9/11. Fick is obviously a very intelliNathaniel Fick entered the Marines by way of Dartmouth College, not the standard route by any means. In “One Bullet Away” he has written a terrific book that should be required reading for all. It gave me a whole new perspective on the war in Iraq. The bravery with which our men serve is incredible. The content is gripping, and Fick’s writing style just adds to it. He paints a vivid picture of life on the front lines during the initial surge into Iraq after 9/11. Fick is obviously a very intelligent man, but he is also a man of immense bravery and compassion. ‘Compassionate’ wasn’t a word that came to mind when I thought of the typical Marine, but I came away from “One Bullet Away” realizing that many Marines are just that. Fick opens up and shares his inner thoughts and fears, which is what makes it such a compelling read....more

I met Nate Fick in 2009 well after he left the service and was impressed by his mind. Now having read his book I understand him better. The value of Nate's book is in the clarity of his story about life as a young Marine officer. It is an enjoyable read, as well as honest and transparent. Nate has the great fortune to be part of Marine units who spearhead our actions in Afghanistan, then Iraq, which he describes with detail. As in any military experience things don't always turn out the way oneI met Nate Fick in 2009 well after he left the service and was impressed by his mind. Now having read his book I understand him better. The value of Nate's book is in the clarity of his story about life as a young Marine officer. It is an enjoyable read, as well as honest and transparent. Nate has the great fortune to be part of Marine units who spearhead our actions in Afghanistan, then Iraq, which he describes with detail. As in any military experience things don't always turn out the way one wants or expects, nor do things always go right. Any officer can relate to the ups & downs Nate recounts in his service and in the thrill and immense burden of leading young men in training and combat....more

Gripping account of a marine officer's journey from training through to fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq to his eventual departure from the corps. Very matter of fact in its delivery, avoiding hyperbole and jingoism and is an essentially personal examination of conflict and the Marines Corps. Touches on the history and what it meant to him to be an officer commanding a platoon in battle.

Stark imagery gives a great feel for what Fick went through, even though I wouldn't have nearly enough hubrisGripping account of a marine officer's journey from training through to fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq to his eventual departure from the corps. Very matter of fact in its delivery, avoiding hyperbole and jingoism and is an essentially personal examination of conflict and the Marines Corps. Touches on the history and what it meant to him to be an officer commanding a platoon in battle.

Stark imagery gives a great feel for what Fick went through, even though I wouldn't have nearly enough hubris to assume I had any idea what it was really like. Came away with some idea of his attitude to war in general and the marines in particular, but left me wondering what is he doing now he has left?

One of the best accounts I have read on what it means to volunteer for military service. ...more

I had great hopes for this book after hearing an interview with the author on NPR. The book is pretty long and after having it for 6 weeks from the library, I couldn't bring myself to finish it. The book does a good job in describing the training of Marines and officers, and a partially good job in describing what they go through in battle, but otherwise it's slow and somewhat boring. It's unsettling to find out just how dumb a lot of the Marine commanders are.

I would not recommend this book altI had great hopes for this book after hearing an interview with the author on NPR. The book is pretty long and after having it for 6 weeks from the library, I couldn't bring myself to finish it. The book does a good job in describing the training of Marines and officers, and a partially good job in describing what they go through in battle, but otherwise it's slow and somewhat boring. It's unsettling to find out just how dumb a lot of the Marine commanders are.

I would not recommend this book although it's not horrible. I hope there are better books out there on this subject (an interesting one to me) who are a better read....more

This book is a memoir; the author became a marine officer after graduating from Dartmouth in the late 90s and though he began serving in peacetime, he managed to be among the first marines into both Afghanistan and Iraq. The details about training are interesting, but the dramatic and honest look at the drive towards Baghdad at the beginning of the conflict is riveting--the details and the action will keep you reading late into the night. Highly recommended for both the good writing and the impoThis book is a memoir; the author became a marine officer after graduating from Dartmouth in the late 90s and though he began serving in peacetime, he managed to be among the first marines into both Afghanistan and Iraq. The details about training are interesting, but the dramatic and honest look at the drive towards Baghdad at the beginning of the conflict is riveting--the details and the action will keep you reading late into the night. Highly recommended for both the good writing and the important on-the-ground view of the Iraq war....more

Nathaniel Fick was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1977. He graduated with high honors from Dartmouth College in 1999, earning degrees in Classics and Government. While at Dartmouth, Fick captained the cycling team to a US National Championship, and wrote a senior thesis on Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War and its implications for American foreign policy.

He was commissioned a second lieNathaniel Fick was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1977. He graduated with high honors from Dartmouth College in 1999, earning degrees in Classics and Government. While at Dartmouth, Fick captained the cycling team to a US National Championship, and wrote a senior thesis on Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War and its implications for American foreign policy.

He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps upon graduation, and trained as an infantry officer.

Fick led his platoon into Afghanistan and Pakistan only weeks after 9/11, helping to drive the Taliban from its spiritual capital in Kandahar. After returning to the States in 2002, he was invited to join Recon, the Corps' special operations force. Fick led a reconnaissance platoon in combat during the earliest months of Operation Iraqi Freedom, from the battle of Nasiriyah to the fall of Baghdad, and into the perilous peacekeeping that followed.

Fick left the Marines as a captain in 2003 and is currently pursuing a masters degree in International Security at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and an MBA at the Harvard Business School. 60 Minutes, the BBC, and NPR have featured his work. Fick's writing has appeared in newspapers across the country, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The International Herald Tribune.

“Strong combat leadership is never by committee. Platoon commanders must command, and command in battle isn't based on consensus. It's based on consent. Any leader wields only as much authority and influence as is conferred by the consent of those he leads. The Marines allowed me to be their commander, and they could revoke their permission at any time.”
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